


Day 3 — “Music”

by rad_twister



Series: Blizzard In July 2020 [3]
Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Blizzard In July, Crushes, F/M, Humor, Karaoke, M/M, Morro definitely swears, Mutual Pining, Not Beta Read, Pre-Relationship, some cussing because honestly? who're we kidding here, takes place after dotd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:06:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25042123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rad_twister/pseuds/rad_twister
Summary: Day 3 of Blizzard In July! | Morro can't sing.
Relationships: Cole & Lloyd Garmadon & Kai & Nya & Jay Walker & Zane, Morro/Zane (Ninjago), Nya/Jay Walker
Series: Blizzard In July 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1811917
Comments: 3
Kudos: 13





	Day 3 — “Music”

**Author's Note:**

> sorry if there's typos! feel free to point them out on this or any of my other works if you see them.

Redemption is a slow process.

Fortunately, everyone seemed to be warming up to the newest member of the ninja team. Slowly, that is, but they were warming up. Well, Lloyd wasn’t, but that’s okay. He didn’t have to forgive the ex-ghost, and everyone understood that. 

For now, though, things were okay, if a bit uncomfortable. The first few days staying with them were the worst. Constant glares, a pair of eyes always watching to make sure he wasn’t going to extract any sort of revenge, biting remarks and thinly-veiled insults. Morro _had_ entertained the thought of revenge, but then decided that honestly? He didn’t want to anymore. 

What he had now was… _pretty good_. It was probably the best he _could_ get. Turning the ninja into allies instead of enemies felt nice, even if it was taking a long time. Morro wasn’t usually very patient, being so accustomed to using violence to get his way, but he was determined not to mess this up. 

Still, them inviting him to a karaoke bar to celebrate a recent victory against crime was a pleasant surprise, if unwanted.

Morro appreciated the gesture, sort of. He really did! (...Kinda?) 

See, there was no doubt that the group was gonna get on that stage and sing some stupid pop song together, and they’d probably invite him up too, which he _really did not want_. He’d only been human again for a couple weeks, and his voice was still scratchy from disuse. Human bodies are difficult things, okay? Talking with real, physical vocal cords? It felt weird. 

Manipulating that sound into something musical? No, he couldn’t do that! 

Still, the hands of time continued to move, and night had fallen; everyone was getting ready for a dinner full of song and laughter. 

Morro swallowed back something he refused to admit was nervousness, and walked outside to see where everyone was already getting on their vehicles (they’re easier to park than a whole ship). He didn’t particularly feel like summoning his dragon, and he didn’t have a driver’s license (he’d died before he could acquire one) so it struck him, suddenly, that there wasn’t a way he could get to the karaoke bar.

 _Perfect_.

“Oh, well,” he pretended to sigh despairingly. “I don’t think I can come with any of you. Just go on ahead without me, okay? I’m feeling tired anyw—”

Sensei Wu interrupted him. “Would anyone be so kind as to give Morro a ride?”

To his utter amazement, a few voices actually agreed. The Ice Ninja even opened up the door to his… whatever that vehicle was. Some sort of weird pointy car?

Morro had to physically restrain himself from sighing for real this time. It was gonna be a long night. He got into the weird pointy car next to Zane—only because he was closest and Morro didn’t want to stand there under everyone’s gazes for a second longer—and tried not to feel like his doom was sealed once the door closed. It was a tight fit in there, but Zane scooted over to make room for him, giving a friendly smile.

“It feels nice to have respites every once in a while, doesn’t it?” he said, obviously trying to make small talk as they headed for Ninjago City. 

“Yeah,” Morro agreed, resolutely staring out the windshield. His heart was fluttering for some inexplicable reason, and it, like many other things in his second chance at life, was weird. That first day once he fell through the Rift had been so unsettling. He’d forgotten what a heartbeat felt like, how having a pulse humming under the surface of his skin could be so soothing and so _loud_. 

It was only getting louder. He wondered, briefly, if Zane could hear it. The nindroid was capable of scanning vitals and it absolutely mortified him that anyone could see through his mask of apathy so easily simply by _looking_. Damn androids, damn this fucking living body, damn the incoming party, curse everything—

“We’re here!” Zane chirped, hopping out of the vehicle. He pulled the front door of the karaoke bar open and held it for everyone, always such a gentleman. Morro took as long as he possibly could to reach the door, even if the procrastination was useless. He simply wasn’t getting out of this, was he? 

Being last meant making Zane wait even longer, but Morro wasn’t about to feel bad about that. It’s his fault for being so fucking _nice_ all the time, with that kind and caring glow in his breathtakingly blue eyes. 

_Stupid android._

Then the door was closing behind him, and everyone made their way to one of the large tables. Jay was being a dork and pulled out Nya’s chair for her, who blushed and rolled her eyes. They sat next to each other, quietly chatting about whatever it is that couples talk about.

_Stupid love._

Morro sat down at a chair that _just so happened_ to be right next to Zane’s—because that chair was closest and he didn’t feel like standing any longer! No other reason—and took in the restaurant. A drunk woman was up on stage absolutely butchering an old jazz song. Somehow she was hitting the notes of the background saxophones more often than she was the singer’s. Morro could almost respect that. It was a damn _feat_ at that point. 

Everyone ordered their food, and that left them to talk among each other as they waited for the cooks to finish up their orders. 

The song ended, leaving the stage empty for whoever wanted to go up next.

_‘Oh no. Nobody say it, nobody say it, please FSM nobody say it—’_

“I’m going up there! Anyone wanna join me?” Kai stood up, that familiar cocky smile crossing his face as he made his declaration. “If you’re not cowards, that is.”

_‘NO!’_

Nya stood up too, and playfully punched her brother in the shoulder. “Well, we’re all more than willing to go up there, because unlike you, we know that we all can _actually_ sing. Right guys?”

 _‘Not all of us,’_ Morro thought, glowering at the table like this was somehow its fault. 

The rest of the ninja stood up and made their way to the stage, catching the attention of the other customers, who watched in a mixture of apprehension and excitement to see how such a large group would fare. It was a miracle nobody had ran up begging for an autograph yet. 

“So uh, is Mr. Emo over there gonna join us, or…?” Cole tilted his head to where Morro still sat at the table, watching them from far away. 

“I have a cold,” Morro lied. “Can’t sing. Throat hurts.” He threw in a cough for good measure. 

“Come on, please? Just one song.” Cole gestured for him to come up with them. “I don’t have a good voice, but you don’t see me chickening out.”

Zane glanced between them. “I am not sure it would be wise for him to exert himself if he is ill, because—”

“He’s lying, Zane,” Lloyd deadpanned.

“But he _is_ pale, and—”

“He’s always pale!” The ~~dumb undeserving brat~~ Green Ninja’s volume lowered for the next words. “Why do you care so much, anyway? I don’t know about you, but I think this is gonna be hilarious.”

The Ice Ninja didn’t respond, only looking at the floor. 

Morro’s eyebrows furrowed. Why were they talking like he wasn’t even there? And now, because of this, everyone else in the restaurant was looking at him with hope-filled eyes. If he didn’t get up there soon they’d start chanting or something horrible like that. 

FSM, this night was exhausting already. Morro stood up, ignored the few cheers from the restaurant’s patrons, threw a glare over his shoulder to where Wu was holding in a laugh over a cup of steaming tea, and marched right up to the stage. 

“Alright, fine. I’m fucking _here_ , are you happy yet?”

"Language!" came Wu's sharp reminder from where he sat. 

“Not until the first song is finished!” Kai cheerfully exclaimed. 

“I hate you all.”

Lloyd handed him a microphone. “The feeling’s mutual.” 

It relieved him to see that Lloyd was smiling playfully when he said that, even if the tone of his voice was still a bit bitter. 

Morro tentatively took the microphone, weighing it in his hands and playing with the cord nervously as the Smith siblings argued over which song to pick. Jay finally pushed between them and chose a song before they could stop him, skittering back to avoid their not-really angry “Hey!”s.

Then the music started up. It was a familiar tune, but Morro one hundred percent did not know the words. 

All the other ninja did, however, and they started singing. They sounded pretty good! Morro did his best to hide behind them, half-heartedly lip-syncing the words he knew and stumbling over the ones he didn’t. 

Here he was, hanging right next to Zane _again_ —just like he had been hovering around the nindroid all night—straining to pick up his voice over the others’. And oh wow, it was beautiful. 

It wasn’t even _fair_ how nice Zane’s voice sounded! Morro angled his head just a bit, turning to make sure his ears could pick up every single note that fell past the nindroid’s lips. Unfair! So unfair! How was he doing that?

The Elemental Master of Ice caught Morro staring, and gave a small smile. “You’re not singing?” he mouthed. 

Morro hoped to everything he believed in that his cheeks weren’t as pink as they felt. He shook his head. “I can’t,” he whispered.

“I’m sure you can.”

“Don’t know the lyrics!”

The song ended. “Well, what songs do you know?” Zane asked, this time talking normally.

“I don’t know. Not many. I haven’t listened to music recreationally in years.”

“Oh, man,” Jay winced. “That’s depressing.”

“Your face is depressing,” Morro snarked back. 

The Lightning Ninja gasped. “Rude!”

At that moment, Cole noticed the waiter bringing their food to the table, and hopped off the stage. “I’m starving! Let’s go for another round, but after we eat, yeah?”

Everyone followed. Morro walked back to his seat, head held up high despite feeling so embarrassed. He plopped down into his seat, almost forgetting to thank the waiter until everyone else did, and closed his eyes for a moment to enjoy the steam coming off the warm soup. It smelled delicious. 

Food? Oh, he’d missed it dearly while he was dead. Morro considered himself extremely lucky that the first meal he had as a human was made by the team during a “welcome back to the world of the living” party for both him and Cole (but mostly Cole). Nobody, and he meant _nobody,_ could cook better than Zane. He’d eaten so fast that first day that he actually choked, and somebody had to perform the heimlich maneuver on him to make sure he didn’t die from inhaling food he was supposed to chew. 

Now _that_ would’ve been a record. Staying alive for a total of three hours before he’s back in the Departed Realm! Imagine! The spirits there would be on the floor laughing. 

Everyone was done eating all too soon, and then Zane grabbed his hand and dragged him back onto the stage with the rest of them. “Can you sight-read?”

“Uh… yes?”

“Wonderful!” Zane handed the ex-ghost his phone, with a tab open to a site that provided free sheet music specifically for stuff like this. Already pulled up was another vaguely recognizable song. “I thought this one would be best suited for you because we’ve played it on the _Bounty_ a few times; the tune will not be so unfamiliar.”

Morro wasn’t tearing up. He absolutely was not. “Thanks,” he whispered, glancing over the page. “This doesn’t seem too hard.”

Once again music started up, with Morro weakly gripping a microphone and humming along to the first few measures to warm up his voice. The moment to sing came—

And he did!

He sang. 

It wasn’t pretty. It clearly wasn’t perfect. That drunk woman from earlier sounded better. 

But… it was fun. Exhilarating, even, to feel his larynx vibrate, to breathe in air and exhale a vibrant, catchy song that he couldn’t help but sway to, tapping a foot against the stage in time with the beat. 

It turned out it didn’t matter that he didn’t sound great, because with everyone up there with him, his own voice could hardly be picked apart from the others. 

What had he been so worried about?

After it ended, Morro was downright surprised to find that he secretly wished they could stay up there longer as he stood, listening to the others in the bar clap for the ninja. However, he handed the phone back to Zane, ignoring the butterflies in his stomach when their fingers brushed—his metallic skin was cool to the touch, as always—and neglected the stairs in favor of stepping right off the edge of the apron.

“Oh, wow, you’re smiling. Should I be worried?” Nya jokingly said as the group went back to the table to collect their things and pay for the food and drinks. 

Morro laughed quietly with the rest of them, for once not getting the urge to reply with something scathingly sarcastic. 

They left soon after—Zane held the door for everyone again, his politeness endearing as usual—and the Elemental Masters of Ice and Wind walked back to the vehicle they’d arrived in. Morro couldn’t tell if it was more or less awkward than the first ride. 

“Thanks for lending me your phone. And you, uh. You don’t sound too bad,” Morro tried for a compliment, words slipping past his filter before he could stop them. His face heated up. _Stupid living body._

Zane was watching him with a curious expression. “No problem, and: As do you,” he replied softly. “...Although, I do apologize if we made you feel uncomfortable. You never struck me as the type to experience stage fright.”

“I don’t, usually. It’d be kind of pathetic if I did. I mean, as a former villain, I’m pretty used to giving gloating speeches in front of my inferiors and enemies.” He glanced out the window at the sky, now filled with stars. A cool breeze shifted the night air, carrying the silhouettes of clouds across the sky. “But I guess it’s different when it comes to karaoke? I’m not fully used to having my body back.”

“That’s completely understandable. However, I would like to once again insist that you have a nice voice, and a unique tone when singing. Have you considered starting a band?”

He snorted. “Yeah, I’m gonna take over somebody’s garage and start a boy band. Call it something dumb, like _The Fold_.”

“That name is already taken.”

“Well shit. Looks like I’ll have to be more creative.”

They both laughed, but were interrupted when the voice of the Earth Ninja crackled to life over the intercom. “Are you two lovebirds done making out? We’re already half-way home.”

“Oh, we’re not—”

“Talking! We were _talking_!”

The two ninja were quick to disprove that notion, but the sound of snickering still made it across the intercom. 

Morro hid his face in his hands, willing the blood to leave his cheeks and for his racing heart to calm down. “Agh, that stupid— that cursed _earthworm—_ ”

His words cut off abruptly when he felt a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t listen to them. They’re just joking, you know.”

That didn’t help, though, because now Zane was closer and their physical proximity was already so intimate in this weird pointy car that was built for one driver and— and Morro couldn’t tear his eyes away from Zane’s face, and he wanted to pull him closer but he didn’t want to address the reason why his stomach was churning and his thoughts were a swirling mess. The Ice Ninja’s skin was cool, but the place where his palm and fingers lightly touched burned and tingled and Morro was gonna die of a heart attack, right here, right now. 

“I know,” he managed to choke out. “They’re _idiots_.”

And then both of Zane’s hands were back on the steering wheel and he missed the brief contact and _honest to the First Spinjitzu Master he’d prefer the Cursed Realm over this! This is torture!_ But Zane was humming some happy little tune to himself, looking so cute, and Morro realized that he should stay alive if only to witness moments like these. 

His heart ached painfully.

**Author's Note:**

> oh man, doesn't it suck when one character is too frickin' dull to realize that their crush obviously likes them back?


End file.
